Collapsible chair



"May 35 932 (5. T. GRONDIN COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR Filed Sept. 27, 1930awwwwoz 4 Emrgw To Gwmd'in @513 EMA QWOWW I Patented May 3, 1932 PATENTOFFICE UNITED STATES Application filed September 27, 1930. Serial No.484,819.

This invention relates to furniture, and more particularly to a foldingchair including a pair of upright side frames adaptedto be collapsed bypushing said side frames 1nwardly.

One object of this invention is to provide a collapsible chair of theabove nature in which the side frames are connected by a pair ofcontrally pivoted inclined cross-frames be ng 1 also pivoted at theirlower ends to the side frames, the upper ends of said cross frames beingslidably mounted in grooves on said side frames.

A further object is to provide a collapsible l5 chair of the abovenature in which the upright frames are connected by a flexible seat andback.

A further object is to provide a chair of the above nature which will besimple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble andmanipulate, ornamental in appearance, compact when not in use, and veryefficient and durable.

Vith these and other objects in view there has been illustrated on theaccompanying drawings one form in which the invention may beconveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a perspective view of the collapsible chair as itappears when in open position.

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective View showing the chair in substantiallyclosed position.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional perspectire view of a portion of thechair in open position.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views, the

numerals 10 and 11 indicate generally the opposite upright side framesof the chair, each of which comprises a short vertical front leg 12 anda long vertical rear leg 13. The legs 12 and 18 of each cross frame areconnected by a pair of horizontal brace members 14 and 15 andan arm rest16, the latter being relatively thin and wide, so as to reduce theheight thereof as much as possible without weakening the construction.

56 The back of the chair comprises a flexible canvas strip 17 attachedin any suitable manner. as by brass upholstery nails, not shown, to theupper end sections of the vertical rear legs 13, said strip 17' beingadapted to fold inwardly automatically as shown in Fig. 2 when the sideframes 10 and 11 are moved inwardly from the open to the closedposition.

The seat of the chair comprises a substantially square canvas strip 18having its edges attached, as by brass nails, to a pair of horizontalbars 19 and 20 having projecting dowel pins, not shown, on theirextremities adapted to fit in guideways or grooves 21 and 22 formed onthe inner sides of the legs 12 and 13 between the arm rests 16 and theintermediate brace bars 15. The horizontal bars 19 and 20 form part of apair of cross frames or lazy tongs, each of which comprises a pair ofinclined legs 23 connected with said cross bars 19 and 20 at their upperends, said i11- clined legs being centrally pivoted together by pins 24at the center of their length and rigidly joined at their lower ends tothe horizontal cross bars 25, the extremities of which are swiveled atthe bottom of the vertical legs 12 and 13 at a point immediately abovethe lower cross-bars 14.

The horizontal cross bars 19 and 20 are made of relatively thin and widestock so as to cause the flexible seat 18 to lie at a more elevatedposition than would otherwise be the case, and the dowel pins on theends of said cross bars are located near the bases of said bars insteadof at the centers thereof, thus still further raising the permissibleheight of said seat.

Operation When it is desired to collapse the chair, it will only benecessary for the user to raise the upper cross-bars 19 and 20 and pushthe two side frames toward, one another. The inclined legs 23 will thusbe moved about the pivots 24 from the position shown in Fig. 1 untilthey reach the position shown in Fig. 2. During this operation the lowercross-bars 25 will swivel within the legs 12 and 13 while the uppercross bars 19 and 20 will slide upwardly in the grooves 21.

One advantage of the present invention is that the height of the arms ofthe chair has been reduced to the minimum without lowering the height ofthe seat or reducing the distance between the side frames. Previouschairs of this nature were subject to the disadvantage that the armrests were too high, and many futile attempts have been previously madeto solve the problem of lowering said arm rests without reducing theheight of the seat or the width of the chair.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in whichthe invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form isshown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention isnot to be limited to the specilic disclosure but may be modified andembodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. Inshort, the invention includes all the modifications and embodimentscoming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention what is claimed as new and forwhich it is desired to secure Letters Patent is:

1. In a portable collapsible chair, a pair of upright side frames havinghorizontal arm rests, a flexible back connecting the upper rear ends ofsaid side frames, a pair of inclined cross-frames pivoted togetherintermediate their ends, said cross-frames being pivotally secured tothe bottoms of said side frames, rectangular slidable bars at the upperends of said cross frames and connected together by a flexible seat,said slidable bars having oppositely extending pin members below thecenters of said bars, and said side frames being provided with slotsbelow said arm rests to slidably receive said pin members, the uppersurfaces of said slidable bars being inclined when the chair is open toelevate said seat and being horizontal when the chair is closed so as tofit snugly under said arm rests.

2. In a portable collapsible chair, a pair of upright side frames havinghorizontal arm rests, a flexible back connecting the upper rear edges ofsaid side frames, a pair of inclined cross-frames pivoted togetherintermediate their ends, said cross frames being pivotally secured tothe bottoms of said side frames, horizontal slidable bars at the upperends of said cross frames, a flexible seat attached to said slidablebars, said slidable bars having oppositely extending pin members locatednear their outer edges, said side frames having vertical slots toreceive said pin members, the upper surfaces of said slidable bars beinginclined when the chair is open to elevate said seat and horizontal whensaid chair is closed to permit said slidable bars to fit snugly againstsaid arm rests.

In testimony whereof, I have atfixed my signature to this specification.

GEORGE T. GRONDIN.

